English

College of Liberal Arts

English - Undergraduate Programs

Bachelor of Arts in English

While planning a program of courses for the major in English, a student should consider the opportunities and limitations of the different options detailed below. For each option, official Program Planners are available in the department office. They require faculty consultation and approval for a graduation audit, but students should also consult department faculty for advising when choosing a program in English and regularly after making that choice.

For all options, the major in English consists of at least 41 units. Because ENGL 100 satisfies a University general education requirement, it is not part of any English option. Some options permit or require courses from other departments; if approved by a faculty advisor, options may also include other courses outside English. Because some courses meet requirements in several options, many students can change options with no great loss of credit toward the required total.

In rare instances, a student may accelerate completion of the major in English by taking advantage of the department’s credit by examination policy. Certain courses may also be waived or substituted for under certain circumstances. Consult a department advisor for the option concerned.

In addition to the degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in English, English majors must meet the following requirements for University graduation:

Each lower division course counted towards the English major must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. A course in which a grade lower than a “C” is received must be retaken and successfully completed prior to enrolling in any course for which it is a prerequisite.

English 380, required of all English majors, must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. If a grade lower than a “C” is received, English 380 must be retaken and successfully completed with a grade of “C” or better prior to enrolling in any course for which it is a prerequisite.

Option in Creative Writing
(code ENGLBA02) (120 units)

The Creative Writing option is designed for students who wish to write, as well as study, fiction, poetry, plays, or media scripts. Exposure to traditional and recent literature is also of significant value for anyone seeking to master the forms and conventions of writing creatively for the literary marketplace. (Students seeking a Secondary Credential should complete the Creative Writing emphasis of the English Education Option.)

This option consists of 45 units, 31 of which must be taken in the upper division, including the following:

Option in English Education
(code ENGLBA06) (120 units)

English Education emphases should not be confused with B.A. options or majors in English or other departments, which have significantly different requirements. The English Education option is designed for prospective secondary English teachers and satisfies the state-mandated requirement in subject matter competence for the Single Subject Teaching credential. This 52-unit option combines a 40-unit core with a specified emphasis in one of nine areas. All nine areas of emphasis require an additional 12 units of breadth and perspective beyond the core as indicated below.

Students must complete the following core courses for all emphases: ENGL 310, 320, 363, 375, 380, 410, 482, LING 339; ENGL 250A or 250B; ENGL 270A or 270B; one course from the following in Comparative World Literature: CWL 100, 124, 132, 320I, 346, 404, 452/552 or CLSC101. General Education courses that will meet California Commission for Teacher Credentialing Recommendations are: (select three units from) THEA 113, 122, or 324I, and (select three units from) COMM 130 or 335.

In addition to meeting the subject matter competence requirement for the Preliminary Single Subject Credential in English, prospective English teachers are also required to complete 44 units of professional preparation in the Single Subject Credential Program, including student teaching. Students may begin the professional preparation courses as early as the junior year. With careful planning, it is possible to complete all of the credential program courses, except for student teaching, as an undergraduate. Courses may also be completed as a post-baccalaureate student. Refer to the Single Subject Teacher Education section of this Catalog or the Single Subject Credential Program website (www.ced.csulb.edu/single-subject) for a description of the professional preparation requirements, courses, and application procedures. Prospective students should consult the department's English Education Advisor early to plan their program.

Africana Studies Emphasis

Students are required to complete the core of forty (40) units and twelve (12) units to provide breadth and perspective.

Students are required to complete the core of forty (40) units and twelve (12) units to provide breadth and perspective.

Breadth and Perspective (12 units): select three units from ENGL 450 series; select three units from ENGL 470 series; select three units from ENGL 318I, 385, 386, 398; select three units from any course in 440 series, any course in 450 series different from above, any course in 460 series, any course in 470 series different from above, any course in 480 series other than ENGL 482 or 498.

Theatre Arts Emphasis

Students are required to complete the core of forty (40) units and twelve (12) units to provide breadth and perspective.

Breadth and Perspective (12 units): THEA 101, 114A, 321, 374.

World Literature Emphasis

Students are required to complete the core of forty (40) units and twelve (12) units to provide breadth and perspective.

Option in Literature (code ENGLBA01) (120 units)

The Literature option is designed for students who desire a thorough grounding in English and American literature and is particularly recommended for those planning on graduate study in English. (Students seeking a Secondary Credential should complete the Literature emphasis of the English Education option.)

This option consists of 46 units, 27 of which must be taken in the upper division, including the following:

Lower Division: ENGL 180, 250A, 250B, 270A, 270B.

Upper Division: ENGL 380; 363; either two courses from the 450 series or one course from the 450 series and one course from the 460 series (excluding 469)—one of these two courses must be in English literature before 1900; one course from the 470 series (excluding 479); one senior seminar (469, 479, 489); electives to make up a total of 46 units.

Option in Rhetoric and Composition
(code ENGLBA04) (120 units)

The Rhetoric and Composition option is designed for students who desire to write for multiple readers and to analyze and interpret texts. This option prepares students for teaching on virtually all levels, for graduate study in English, and for professions that require intensive writing and communication skills. (Students seeking a Secondary Credential should complete the Literacy and Composition emphasis of the English Education option.)

This option consists of 45 units, 32 of which must be upper division, including the following:

Note: students are strongly encouraged to take ENGL 102 or an English-department equivalent at a transfer school for this option.

Option with Special Emphasis
(code ENGLBA05) (120 units)

Some students wishing to major in English have special interests or career objectives so different from those for which the other options are designed that another pattern of courses would better serve their personal educational needs. For those students, the Special Emphasis option offers an opportunity to pursue individually designed 41-unit programs of study. Student programs may center on technical writing, for example, or other writing goals; they may focus on American or English literature or literature in a particular genre, a particular historical period, or a particular theme.

A Special Emphasis program may include courses outside the Department of English closely related to a student’s focus in English studies. At least 21 units must be earned in the Department of English at CSULB and at least 21 units of the program must be upper division. For degrees with more than four courses in any single other department, students should consider a Special Major in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program.

Students wishing to take the Special Emphasis option should prepare a detailed program proposal early in their college careers. Such programs will be recognized only if planned in consultation with a faculty advisor in the Department of English, approved in writing by the advisor, given signed approval by the Department Chair, and carried out under the advisor’s continuing supervision. Students must complete at least 15 upper-division units applicable to their Special Emphasis program after it has been officially approved.

The only specific course requirements and limitations are the following: ENGL 180, Composition and Literature (3 units); ENGL 380, Approaches to English Studies (4 units).

Electives in English and related fields are needed to make up a total of 41 units. These electives may not include ENGL 100 or 101.

Minor in English

Creative Writing (code ENGLUM01)

The minor in English (Creative Writing) requires a minimum of 20 units which must include the following: ENGL 180 or equivalent; three units from ENGL 204, 205 or 206, three units from ENGL 404, 405 or 406; three units from ENGL 385 or 386; and eight units of electives from ENGL 359, 404, 405, 406, 407, 432, 459, 466, 467A/B, 474, 475, 476, 477A/B, 499. (Note: ENGL 404, 405, 406 and 407 may be repeated for credit to a maximum of six units by consent of instructor.)

Rhetoric and Composition
(code ENGLUM02)

The Rhetoric and Composition minor in English requires a minimum of 20 units and must include: ENGL 310, 497, LING 420, and 421. Also recommended are three units from ENGL (or LING) 423 or 426.

Literature (code ENGLUM03)

The Literature minor in English requires a minimum of 20 units and must include: ENGL 180 or equvalent; eight units from ENGL 250A, 250B, 270A, 270B; and nine elective units from upper-division literature classes in the English department (including at least one class at the 400 level).

Special Emphasis (code ENGLUM04)

The Special Emphasis minor in English requires a minimum of 21 units in a program developed, approved, and supervised in the same manner as the Special Emphasis Option. ENGL 180 or equivalent is required of all students, with the rest of the program constructed in consultation with a faculty advisor. At least nine upper-division units must be taken after program approval, and at least 11 units must be earned in the Department of English at CSULB.

Certificate in Teaching English as a
Second Language (code ENGLCT02)

The Certificate Program in Teaching English as a Second Language is conducted by the Linguistics Department faculty. Please refer to the Linguistics sections of this Catalog.

Certificate in Technical and Professional
Communication (code ENGLCT01)

The Department of English offers a Certificate in Technical and Professional Communication to students interested in careers in writing and editing. Application forms and advising materials may be obtained from the department office.

Prerequisites

Formal consultation with a faculty advisor in the Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) Certificate program;

Submission of an application to enter the program, supported by transcripts;

Upper division or post-baccalaureate standing at CSULB with a grade point average of at least 2.75 overall;

Admission to a degree program in this university or possession of a degree from an accredited university;

Successful completion of ENGL 317, Technical Communication, with a letter grade of "C" or higher.

General Requirements

A baccalaureate degree, which may be taken concurrently with the Certificate in Technical and Professional Communication;

A minimum of 24 units in courses approved for the Certificate Program at this University, preferably completed within 10 years of the first credit granted toward the Certificate (consult an advisor concerning any transfer or extension credit that may be allowable);

A letter grade of "C" or higher in every course in the Certificate program (a grade of "CR" is acceptable in no more than one course);

Completion of a program of courses in Areas I through IV, developed in consultation with an advisor in the Technical and Professional Communication Certificate program, and approved by the Program Director and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts (or the Dean's designee);

Demonstrations (in or outside the program of courses) of competence in the use of computers and graphic media;

Development of a portfolio of reports, written and edited by the student during enrollment in the Certificate program, for review and approval by faculty in the Technical and Professional Communication Certificate program (required for a grade in ENGL 492A/B, Area IV).

Course Requirements

For each of the following courses, TPC Certificate students have been granted enrollment rights equal to those of students majoring in the Department offering the course. Substitutions are possible, especially in more advanced courses, with approval by the Program Director.

Area I: Technical and Professional Writing (9 units): ENGL 417, 418, and one from the following courses: ART 307; ENGL 419; GEOL 420; IS 301, JOUR 316, 319B.

Area IV: Practical Writing (3 units): ENGL 491 (1 or more units), 492A or B (2 or more units). No grade in ENGL 492 will be assigned without an approved portfolio, as indicated in Paragraph 6, General Requirements.